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Cold Mountain

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T O P I C R E V I E W
CT•Ranger	Posted - December 28 2002 : 12:56:20 AM I'm really lookin' forward to this one, and thought some Mohicanlanders would be interested too. A film version of Charles Frazier's novel Cold Mountain is currently in production. Romania in Eastern Europe is filling in for North Carolina. Directed by Anthony Minghella, "The English Patient," Jude Law is Inman, and Nicole Kidman is Ada. Also involved in the film are Civil War experts Don Troiani as uniform authenticity consultant and Brian Pohanka. I loved the book, and Frazier's writing style, I was hooked from the first page. Hopefully they'll stick very close to the book for this film.
25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
richfed	Posted - October 24 2004 : 07:25:49 AM Finally saw this ... on DVD ... I was told by many that I would not care for this film because it was more a love story than a Civil War tale ... That is true, but I did enjoy it immensely! Overall, very good film ... cast, scenery [I now understand why they chose Romania! Besides financial considerations, it has that non-Industrial look to the landscape ... ala the 19th Century. Parts were filmed here in NC, SC, & VA.], cinematography, musical score, story ... My only "gripe" ... when the newly formed regiment of Confederate soldiers marched out of Cold Mountain after the onset of war, they were all dressed in regulation Confederate uniforms ... at that early stage, and particularly for a regiment formed in the hills of western NC, this would hardly have been the case. A regiment out of the Virginia Military Institute maybe, but not Cold Mountain. Anyway, good flick that is worth a look!
moonandstar	Posted - February 25 2004 : 9:50:29 PM I recently watched this movie, it is excellent, destined to be another one of my all time favorites. Very sad,though, as was the book. Really interesting cast of characters.
daire	Posted - February 23 2004 : 4:45:36 PM I finally saw this a few weeks ago. I think Renee Z stole the show, the music, cinematography and the battle scenes were great; otherwise, I thought it was very flat in character development and acting. I wasn't induced to care about Inman or Ada at all, and I'm usually the hopeless romantic. But by time Inman made it back, I couldn't wait to get up and let feeling back into my butt. It sucked that Inman died in the end, but from the moment he went after that blonde Home Guard guy, the rest of the movie was extremely predictable right down to the child-from-one-night-of-passion and Ruby and Georgia gettin hitched. I couldn't see any chemistry between Ada and Inman the characters or Nicole and Jude. The love scene was choppy, like watching a scrambled tv station, lol. And it also seemed somewhat choppy between the past/present/him/her scenes; Minghella needs editing lessons, IMO. I will say he did a better job with CM than he did English Patient (oye). JM2C
SgtMunro	Posted - January 14 2004 : 08:34:37 AM Seen it, Lady Munro loved it. I did not care for the fact that every soldier, who was not a deserter, was portrayed as either a blind fool or an outright criminal. Just my thoughts...
Ro	Posted - January 07 2004 : 08:46:13 AM I'm looking forward to see Jay Tavare's character in the movie. If anyone saw Adaptation, he was excellent in his scene with Meryl Streep. He chooses his roles very carefully and stays true to his craft.
CT•Ranger	Posted - January 05 2004 : 7:38:29 PM quote: Originally posted by richfed Thanks for the excellent recap, WW. I figure I'll probably agree with you on most counts. Will have to wait till the DVD release to see it, though. One thing that sort of bugs me. Michael Mann chose western NC to film The Last of the Mohicans in because of the wilderness settings he could find here. Why in the world did this production choose Romania to shoot in when the film is set right here? They say it's because they couldn't find wilderness enough in western North Caolina! Huh?!? Rich, I know they used Romanian army conscripts for the Battle of the Crater. Maybe they got them for free. I know there are thousands of Civil War reenactors in the US who would have volunteered as extras, but generally they have to feed if not pay extras in the U.S. Who knows? I did see an interview with Minghella and he said that one of the reasons they shot in Romania is because there are still areas that have been untouched by modern machinery (farming equipment, logging etc.) Again this reason doesn't make much sense either. In 1860s NC there would have been very little land untouched by man. Virtually the entire U.S. has been logged once or twice, if not more. You have to look very hard to find the rare areas that have forests more than 100 years old. I bet in the end, the main reason was that it was probably just cheaper to film there. One thing that really stuck out in CM where the mountains. Way too tall to look like NC. It looked more like the the Sierras or Rockies. Also another thing about the film; virtually the first half was completely made up by the director or very loosely based on a couple passages, and ironically that was the part of the film I liked most. The second half of the film could have down without the explicit gratuituos sex. As always the book is much better.
richfed	Posted - January 05 2004 : 6:56:30 PM Thanks for the excellent recap, WW. I figure I'll probably agree with you on most counts. Will have to wait till the DVD release to see it, though. One thing that sort of bugs me. Michael Mann chose western NC to film The Last of the Mohicans in because of the wilderness settings he could find here. Why in the world did this production choose Romania to shoot in when the film is set right here? They say it's because they couldn't find wilderness enough in western North Caolina! Huh?!?
Wilderness Woman	Posted - January 04 2004 : 1:19:07 PM Well, we went to see it the other night; we both thought it was excellent. The acting: I was very impressed with Jude Law, thought his performance was nicely understated... a simple but effective portrayal. Although I am not particularly a fan of Ms. Kidman, I thought she did a very nice job with the practical but helpless Southern Belle type of character that Ada is. Her character evolved nicely, and she did a great job with the change of accent. Renee's Ruby?... comical, yes. Very funny, but I felt it was quite realistic. My only complaint was that I had a difficult time understanding her very thick back-country accent, at times. The photography: visually stunning scenery; horrifyingly realistic battle scene of The Crater at Petersburg; altogether beautifully done. The storyline: I have not yet read the book, but my husband has, and he felt the movie followed the book quite well. Of course things were left out, as they always are when a book is consolidated into a movie. I was never bored! The story moved and flowed in a very clear manner, using flashbacks that were not at all confusing. For me, the two-plus hours went very quickly and I was very deeply involved in the story. I did not find the love story to be overly sentimental. It was sweet, yes, but inspirational in their devotion to each other through horribly, crushingly hard times. The music: Excellent soundtrack score! I thoroughly enjoyed the Harp Singers in the church scene, as well as the good, old-fashioned type of back-woods country fiddle music. This will be a good one to add to my collection. All in all... two fiddle bows up from me!!
Kaylynn44	Posted - December 29 2003 : 12:43:48 PM I will be waiting for Cold Mountain to come to PPV. Renee Zelwegger is one of my favorite actresses. She is just a fun person to watch. Her facial features are very unique!!! I like Nicole too. She is a very talented actress. Kay
Diana	Posted - December 29 2003 : 09:17:26 AM The book. I picked up this book a couple of years ago. I could only endure about half of it. Boring. I saw the promos for the movie too. Was not impressed. This just is not my favorite genre. We shall see what OSCAR has to say. Personally, I am rooting for Master and Commander. Diana
daire	Posted - December 23 2003 : 11:15:26 AM quote: Originally posted by Theresa As for the book, the only negative thing about it that drove me absolutely nuts was the absence of quotation marks. Now, how in the world could you have a movie when nobody in the book said anything? Just kidding! I tried to read some James Joyce and it was the same way! Between that and I couldn't figure WHAT was going on, I ended up giving up after about 20 pages.
Lady Ann	Posted - December 23 2003 : 08:45:43 AM We saw Cold Mountain last night. I was not impressed overall, although Jude Law and Renee Zellwinger did some Oscar-worthy acting. I thought the movie, as compared to the book, was filmed in a rather sticky sentimental mode, with way too much photography concentrated on Nicole Kidman's pretty face. Lots of gore and blood-letting as well, with plenty of bad guys roaming around. The book was stark, cold and practical and much of its power was derived from that tone; the movie wanted you to feel warm and weepy, and inappropriately I thought, makes Ruby and her father completely comic figures. The two hours in the movie theater seemed like weeks to me (as opposed to the nearly 4 hours for The Return of the King, which seemed like minutes! OK, I am biased..The Lord of the Rings trilogy is, in my opinion a phenomenal achievement in filmmaking that just simply hasn't been topped in the three years of its release). If you want your money's worth from Cold Mountain, use the $8.50 to buy the book rather than the movie ticket.
Theresa	Posted - December 23 2003 : 08:16:29 AM Also, I was surprised to learn that some of the music is performed by folks right here in my state, The Sacred Harp singers from Liberty Baptist Church in Henegar, Al. If you get a chance to see A&E's special on the movie, it is worth a look. As for the book, the only negative thing about it that drove me absolutely nuts was the absence of quotation marks. Now, how in the world could you have a movie when nobody in the book said anything? Just kidding!
Wilderness Woman	Posted - December 22 2003 : 5:02:44 PM The Discovery Channel will be showing a program Tuesday evening, Dec. 23rd about Cold Mountain. I'm not sure whether it is a "behind the scenes", a "background info", or a "history vs. Hollywood" type of thing. At any rate, it sounds interesting. It runs at 9:00 pm Eastern and 8:00 Central time. Also, an hour before it is a program about Pickett's Charge. I don't know if this is new or a repeat.
Christina	Posted - October 13 2003 : 3:27:39 PM quote: Originally posted by CT•Ranger The trailer for this film can now be seen at http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/coldmountain.html So what do you guys think? The consensus on another board is that the trailer is incredibly boring(but I think they were probably looking for fast paced action packed crap). I happen to disagree with those folks. I think it will be an interesting movie, but am afraid Minghella has taken too many liberties, and may have strayed too far from the book. For example, one detail they got wrong, which has really bugged me so far, is Ada's hair color. Ada was not blond in the book, she is described as having dark hair. Trying to picture Ada, one of the most important characters, as a blond, just doesn't work. If Kidman could change her appearance for "The Hours," why couldn't she do the same for this? To me, getting the visual details right is more important than any other detail, since movies are primarily visual communication. Anyway, just some thoughts. And if I recall correctly, Inman's hair was dark and he's described as being dark and wiry. Jude Law looks blonde and at least relatively fresh faced in this. From the stills he looks in remarkably good shape considering what the character of Inman goes through. I don't know what to feel about this movie. The book itself was such an emotional gut-wrencher for me I don't think I can handle the film, but if you haven't read it, PLEASE do. It's not a walk in the park but you'll be glad you did. Christina (who is picky about hair color.)
CT•Ranger	Posted - October 13 2003 : 3:09:44 PM The trailer for this film can now be seen at http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/coldmountain.html So what do you guys think? The consensus on another board is that the trailer is incredibly boring(but I think they were probably looking for fast paced action packed crap). I happen to disagree with those folks. I think it will be an interesting movie, but am afraid Minghella has taken too many liberties, and may have strayed too far from the book. For example, one detail they got wrong, which has really bugged me so far, is Ada's hair color. Ada was not blond in the book, she is described as having dark hair. Trying to picture Ada, one of the most important characters, as a blond, just doesn't work. If Kidman could change her appearance for "The Hours," why couldn't she do the same for this? To me, getting the visual details right is more important than any other detail, since movies are primarily visual communication. Anyway, just some thoughts.
CT•Ranger	Posted - September 21 2003 : 8:02:18 PM Union troops caught in the crater at Petersburg Image Insert: 28.68 KB Inman making his way through a swamp Image Insert: 30.14 KB Inman and Ada Image Insert: 17.57 KB Black Cove Image Insert: 20.25 KB
Pen	Posted - August 06 2003 : 8:37:53 PM Well, let's see if I can do this again...forgot to log on the first time. It's been one of those weeks, you know? SIGH Thanks for the warning, Theresa! I'll start reading tonight. CT Ranger, thanks for the pics. Can't say I'm a fan of any of the film's principals, but I think I'll watch just for the scenery. NC it ain't, but it looks great anyway. Pen
CT•Ranger	Posted - August 06 2003 : 5:58:28 PM Either way you're likely to be disappointed. Since the film is almost never as good as the book, in my opinion. It's been three years since I read the book, so I probably won't be too distracted by all the differences. I've already been somewhat disappointed because I don't think Nicole Kidman fits the Ada of the book. But I'm looking forward to the film anyway. If anyone is interested in behind the scenes pics of the set and cast & crew pics check out the tons of pics at the yahoo group for the film. You have to join to see the pics, but it's really easy, especially if you already have a yahoo email account. It's worth it, you can't find most of these pics anywhere else. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coldmountain_themovie/ Here are some examples: Image Insert: 34.67 KB Jude Law as Inman Image Insert: 32.27 KB C.M. Landscape- Romania (A bit different than N.C.) Image Insert: 32.3 KB
Theresa	Posted - August 06 2003 : 4:59:31 PM Hey Pen! I think I would go ahead and read it. But be warned...there are no quotation marks, which drove me NUTS!! I probably won't re-read it.
Pen	Posted - August 06 2003 : 3:26:44 PM Hey, All, After reading the buzz on the board, I bought a (used) hardback copy of 'Cold Mountain' today. Should I start reading now, or wait until the film comes out and read it afterwards? I don't wanna disappoint myself... Pen
CT•Ranger	Posted - August 03 2003 : 5:19:59 PM Someone who supposedly went to a screening of the film wrote this at Ain't it Cool news. This was not the final version. "Cold Mountain A romantic Civil War drama starring Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Renee Zellweger, Natalie Portman, Donald Sutherland, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The Good: Nicole Kidman was fantastic and not to mention stunningly beautiful. Her character went from pampered Southern Bell, to frightened shut-in, to a hardened farmer with dirt under her nails, skinning sheep and shooting wild turkey. Fabulous, Oscar-worthy performance. Renee Zellweger's entrance was outstanding and a breath of fresh air. Her tough-as-nails farmer girl provided some much needed comic relief and lightened the mood considerably. Another Oscar-worthy performance. Jude Law was fine but a bit too hard for me. His performance reminded me of Ralph Fiennes in “The English Patient.” The acting was good but I just didn’t love the guy. The entire story hinged upon the love of Nicole and Jude and it was a bit much to swallow. I believed they were in love, but when Jude went off to war they barley spoke 10 words to each other and had one passionate kiss. Is that memory enough to keep you alive on a journey through hell and back? And when I say hell I mean it HELL… Jude Law was shot, beaten, dragged, rained on, hunted, you name it and it happened to the poor guy. I just wish there was more romance in the beginning. The Bad: A bit overlong coming in a just over 3 hours. And Philip Seymour’s brief role was so over-the-top and out-of-place. His awful slapstick comedy should be edited way down before the final release. I see the need for comic relief in such a weighty drama, but Renee provides enough, in the right tone, for the entire film. And Ray Winstone and Charlie Hunnam played the “bad guys” who hunt army deserters and had little motivation for their awful behavior. These two characters need to be fleshed-out further. They were interesting but I just didn’t buy it. The Ugly: This movie is brutal, violent and unforgiving. This is a side of the Civil War no one has seen on the screen before. Many scenes reminded me of Platoon when they raided the village and murdered the innocent civilians. Definitely Rated R. Major Spoiler Below... The most outstanding scene was in the beginning just after the Union army blew a monstrous hole in the Confederate trench lines. All the Union soldiers rose-up and charged through the falling dirt and debris only to run smack into a huge crater wall. Thousands of soldiers were trapped and began piling up like Holocaust victims in a gas chamber gasping for air. The camera craned overhead and the remaining Confederates appear over the wall’s edge and began to slaughter the desperate soldiers. The Union army was massacred in a scene that puts Saving Private Ryan’s Normandy invasion to shame. Absolutely gut-wrenching!"
richfed	Posted - May 22 2003 : 06:18:11 AM DANG, CT! Yet another DVD I'm going to have to buy! Sounds excellent.
CT•Ranger	Posted - May 21 2003 : 5:05:10 PM Found this at Don Troiani's website http://www.historicalartprints.com "Forthcoming feature film --COLD MOUNTAIN Don was the "Civil War Uniform and Equipment Consultant" on the forthcoming 100 million dollar epic Civil War film "Cold Mountain" starring Nicole Kidman,Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Renee Zellweger and Donald Sutherland to be released at Christmas 2003. The production is based on the best selling novel by Charles Frazier. The producer is the renowned Anthony Minghella whose extensive film making credits include "The English Patient" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Considering the vast time, effort, and talent going into this project it should create a tremendous level of interest in the Civil War among the general public.The HUGE battle scenes filmed with thousands of extras (probably multiplied digitally afterwards) in Romania will be particularly impressive.The buzz in the entertainment industry is already hinting at a possible contender for best picture Oscar of 2003. Noted Civil War experts Brian Pohanka , Michael Kraus and John Bert were also involved as consultants and advised during location filming in Europe. Some scenes are being filmed in this country during the fall and winter. William L. Brown III was also advisor on civilian lifestyles. We'll have some stories about "adventures in consulting" and what to expect regarding the film's fidelity to history as we approach the release date. 1st Report from Don: I have now seen some photos of the Union and Confederate infantry taken on set and have to say they looked very very good in general. Mostly all young and thin (Romanian Army conscripts) and the uniforms were surprisingly well done. The battleflags in particular were outstanding and even little details like the Union colorbearer's chevrons were proper. While of course there are some very minor problem things (this is a movie of course!) here and there, I would have to say I have never seen anything better in a Civil War film yet. In fact it may set the standard for quite a while. In one scene involving a Confederate band, Civil War musician/ historian Mark Elrod flew to Romania with some of his superb original over-the-shoulder horns to use in the film. While there Mr. Elrod also instructed the band on how to properly play the period songs. 2nd Report 3/03 I have recently seen photos of the movie sets of the Petersburg battlefield and have to say they are unbelieveable! Dante Ferretti (set designer for "Gangs of New York") did a bang of job and it looks like all the period photos of Petersburg come alive. There is a massive complex of trenches, redoubts, bombproofs, abbatis, which seems to stretch for miles. The only flaw I could spot was the use of heavy fortification size guns instead of the correct field guns. For those that have asked, I had no involvement in the civilian costume or aspects of the film except in a few intances where they needed advice on various things. The April issue of "Vanity Fair" magazine has several stills from the film including a nice one of Jude Law in a McDowell style cap wearing the 1861 North Carolina regulation infantry sack coat. Note the typical narrow leather belt with plain iron roller buckle."
sidony	Posted - March 03 2003 : 7:53:43 PM If Nicole Kidman can get Daniel to star in another movie, I could force myself to sit through 2 hours of watching her in it!:) I wish she'd get her hands off him though. He's mine, and Rebecca Miller's!:)

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